A few months ago, my doctor and I were fighting about ways to control my metabolism. I think that metabolism is one of the key factors in controlling obesity, Type II Diabetes, and other related health issues (such as blood pressure, liver diseases, heart diseases and perhaps even cancer). Going on a diet, particularly a fad diet, however, is not the answer.
A person's metabolism--my metabolism, your metabolism--has a rate and is affected by many factors. Our metabolism can be fast/high and slow/low. Some people burn fat and other calories at a higher rate, faster than others. Some people burn fat and other calories more slowly, at a lower rate than others; they store it for later. Heredity is one of many factors to do with the rate of one's metabolism, but there are many, many other factors, too. Writes Colette Bouchez of WebMD, "Your metabolism is influenced by your age (metabolism naturally slows about 5% per decade after age 40); your sex (men generally burn more calories at rest than women); and proportion of lean body mass (the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate tends to be)."1 Stress is also a factor. According to G. Seematter, C. Binnert and L. Tappy, "In obese patients, mental stress elicits responses which differ widely from those of healthy individuals. While mental stress enhances catecholamine-mediated energy expenditure in obese patients to the same extent as in lean subjects, it fails to decrease systemic vascular resistance due to endothelial dysfunction. This leads to enhanced blood pressure responses and the absence of stimulation of glucose disposal in obese subjects during mental stress."2
However, obesity does not equate slow/low metabolism. According to Molly Kimball, RD, "The simple fact is that the extra weight causes your body to work harder just to sustain itself at rest, so in most instances, the metabolism is always running a bit faster....When you are very overweight your metabolism is already running so high that any small cut in calories will result in an immediate loss."3 Thus, for a quick fix of losing just a few pounds, dieting is the answer. But, in truth, you are starving yourself, and your body will eventually respond by slowing down your metabolic rate, storing more fat (energy) and, ultimately, causing you to regain that weight lost, perhaps even gain additional weight (for the next time you starve yourself).
There is even a danger, I suspect, in the meal plans some companies put out for diabetes. (See the nutrition pages produced by the American Diabetes Association for quality advice on balancing carbohydrates with other foods.) Diets too low in carbohydrates can be very dangerous. You need sugar, particularly glucose. Your brain needs it. (You acquire this glucose from carbohydrates contained in dairy products, a variety of grains, any legumes, as well as other vegetables, and fruits.) "Glucose is the only fuel normally used by brain cells. Because neurons cannot store glucose, they depend on the bloodstream to deliver a constant supply of this precious fuel."4 Your body needs glucose, too, particularly complex carbohydrates.
Just as there slow/low and fast/high metabolisms, there are also complex (slowly metabolized) and simple (quickly metabolized) carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates include: most syrups, fruit juices, milk, and processed (table) sugar. They are found in most processed/refined foods. The body absorbs these very, very quickly, "as if delivered by a syringe."5 Complex carbohydrates include: bread, rice, pasta, cereals (which may also have simple carbohydrates), potatoes, fruits, legumes, carrots and corn. To a lesser degree, complex carbohydrates may be found in green vegetables, such as green beans, broccoli, and spinach. It is better to digest complex carbohydrates than simple carbohydrates. "A sugary snack or soft drink that quickly raises your blood sugar level gives you a boost (and any caffeine adds to the lift), but it's short-lived. When you eat something with a high sugar content your pancreas starts to secrete insulin, responding to a kind of temporary hyperglycemia. Insulin triggers cells throughout your body to pull the excess glucose out of your bloodstream and store it for later use."6 Sometimes the insulin pulls too much out, and you suffer from a temporary glucose deficiency: your thinking slows down, you feel nervous/edgy, and your body feels weak (a kind of temporary form of hypoclycemia).
I believe that people with slow/low metabolisms might feel a drive to get "quick fixes" of simple sugars. I'll research this for another entry. Meanwhile, I think it is important to note that having a slow/low metabolism is not a curse, not a disability.
There are advantages and disadvantages to each extreme. Someone who is able to burn calories quickly is able to function in "sprints" and to use energy in daily activities at an intense rate. Someone who is able to burn calories slowly is able to function at "marathon" levels and to use energy in daily activities at a steady, moderate rate. This does not at all mean, however, that you need less food! What it does mean, I think, is that the balance between exercise (both aerobic and muscle development) and eating is different than for those with high/fast metabolic rates. According to Robert Yanagisawa, MD,"If two people both weigh 250 pounds, and one got there by dieting down from 350 and the other one was always at 250, the one who got there by cutting calories is going to have a slower metabolism. That means they will require fewer calories to maintain their weight than the person who never went beyond 250 pounds." 7
Just as there slow/low and fast/high metabolisms, there are also complex (slowly metabolized) and simple (quickly metabolized) carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates include: most syrups, fruit juices, milk, and processed (table) sugar. They are found in most processed/refined foods. The body absorbs these very, very quickly, "as if delivered by a syringe."5 Complex carbohydrates include: bread, rice, pasta, cereals (which may also have simple carbohydrates), potatoes, fruits, legumes, carrots and corn. To a lesser degree, complex carbohydrates may be found in green vegetables, such as green beans, broccoli, and spinach. It is better to digest complex carbohydrates than simple carbohydrates. "A sugary snack or soft drink that quickly raises your blood sugar level gives you a boost (and any caffeine adds to the lift), but it's short-lived. When you eat something with a high sugar content your pancreas starts to secrete insulin, responding to a kind of temporary hyperglycemia. Insulin triggers cells throughout your body to pull the excess glucose out of your bloodstream and store it for later use."6 Sometimes the insulin pulls too much out, and you suffer from a temporary glucose deficiency: your thinking slows down, you feel nervous/edgy, and your body feels weak (a kind of temporary form of hypoclycemia).
I believe that people with slow/low metabolisms might feel a drive to get "quick fixes" of simple sugars. I'll research this for another entry. Meanwhile, I think it is important to note that having a slow/low metabolism is not a curse, not a disability.
There are advantages and disadvantages to each extreme. Someone who is able to burn calories quickly is able to function in "sprints" and to use energy in daily activities at an intense rate. Someone who is able to burn calories slowly is able to function at "marathon" levels and to use energy in daily activities at a steady, moderate rate. This does not at all mean, however, that you need less food! What it does mean, I think, is that the balance between exercise (both aerobic and muscle development) and eating is different than for those with high/fast metabolic rates. According to Robert Yanagisawa, MD,"If two people both weigh 250 pounds, and one got there by dieting down from 350 and the other one was always at 250, the one who got there by cutting calories is going to have a slower metabolism. That means they will require fewer calories to maintain their weight than the person who never went beyond 250 pounds." 7
Imagine that! Dieting slows your metabolism. I'll end this entry on that thought.....
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